According to the American Diabetes Association, over 34 million American adults and children have diabetes today. In Illinois, 1,325,000 people are living with diabetes. In addition, 3,393,000 people in Illinois have prediabetes and 85% of Americans with prediabetes don’t know they have it.

QMG Nutrition Services Team includes (L to R) Registered Dietitian Olivia Rees; Registered Nurse and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist Loretta Musholt; and Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist Angie Zanger-Geiselman.

November 14 is World Diabetes Day and a day to bring awareness to the disease. Quincy Medical Group (QMG) Registered Nurse and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist Loretta Musholt says encouraging everyone to embrace living well with diabetes through the right balance of nutrition, physical activity, and mental health management can help those with the disease have a better quality of life.

“The best way to manage your diabetes is to include planning what you will eat so it is balanced, getting regular movement, and taking your medications if prescribed by your provider,” she shared.

Musholt is part of the QMG Nutrition Services, which includes Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist Angie Zanger-Geiselman and Registered Dietitian Olivia Rees.  They are here to support you in your diabetes journey.

As a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, Musholt provides guidance for patients. She says the sessions with her vary based on your individual needs.

“At the start of the session, we set a plan together of what we will discuss, including what they see as important for their care,” she shared. “Sometimes it is information, other times it is problem-solving an issue they are having with their sugars, or it may be learning a specific skill, such as how to give insulin injections, learning to check their blood sugar, or learning how to insert and use a continuous glucose monitoring system.”

Understanding your risk of diabetes is the first step. To assess your risk, the American Diabetes Association offers a diabetes risk test. To take the test, visit https://www.diabetes.org/risk-test.

For information on our QMG Nutrition Services team and services or to schedule an appointment, call 217-222-6550, ext. 3481 or visit quincymedgroup.com.